ballad_ex_lorefandomcom-20200215-history
The Violent Monkey Powder Affair
The Violent Monkey Powder Affair was a year-long complication between the Royal Kymurian Constabulary and a mage-syndicate known as the Temple of the Jungle. It was the standout case of a series of issues caused by rural SKL-based mages who manufactured dubious medicines and tonics for sale in Kymuria. There were several problems caused by this, firstly that although the SKL was effectively a puppet of Kymuria, its royal government was not obliged to assist in policing issues that only affected Kymuria, and secondly that the Royal Kymurian Constabulary was not allowed to operate in the SKL, therefore severely complicating the affair. Such cases were unprecedented in Kymurian history because traditionally-trained mages were not permitted to use their skills for personal enrichment, and would be hunted down by the Saffiric Mage's Guild for doing so, but these rules only applied in Kymuria proper, not the loosely-policed SKL. Background From the start of the 8th century KF, many middle-class SKL-born men found themselves with increasingly limited opportunity in life. They could join the increasingly bureaucratic and toothless civil service, become a missionary priest for the Angelican Church, or begin trading on the lowland coast. However, for still unexplained reasons, many of these men had uncannily strong skills at practising magic, and so over that century, thousands of them journeyed to Saffira, Copa, Krahull, Dannenholm and Copannis, to receive formal instruction in the arts of magic. Many of these men found the extremely tight restrictions and boundaries imposed by the mage guilds too much, especially compared to the mercantile and liberal culture of the southern lands, and so bands of these newly-trained mages, often led by an arch mage, would journey back south to try new things and earn a living. Archmage Sapa Chi Pandit was one of these people, who had a band of 14-26 followers. They called themselves the "Temple of the Jungle" after the building from which they operated, and began to manufacture magically-infused powders and tonics that could be cheaply sold in local villages, aware of the difficulty in shipping the product into the lucrative but tightly-controlled Kymurian market. "Powder of the Violent Monkey" The issue began when the group started to manufacture a strong, pungent powder called Najit-Pa from a ruined jungle temple in 890KF. It was a mild stimulant that seemed to alleviate symptoms of common ailments, but due to the enchantment of the brisckell-leaves required for making it, the mild buzz given by the substance soon became dizzy excitement, then either a period of paranoia and twitchiness, or a fit of laughter, depending on the user. The name "Najit-Pa" comes from an obscure jungle saying (Krampung Najit-Pa) that originates from a folk tale about a violent monkey that attacked villagers and has no direct translation. It is an positive expression roughly equivalent to "huzzah" that was compounded into "Violent Monkey Powder" in Sra. Arch-mage Pandit and his band began to trek for miles to local villages to sell the powder, which quickly became extremely popular due to its effects and sweet taste. The powder could be smoked or inhaled but most commonly it was mixed into tea. Strong spirits such as whiskey caused it to dissolve entirely. How the latter fact was discovered remains a mystery. The Yellow Plague A year after it was first sold, the powder's bizarre and addictive properties were brought to the attention of tea trader Kassa Daal. He gave the product it's distinctive label and began smuggling it into Kymuria in chests of tea, where it would appear unchecked in shop windows and medicine cabinets. An outbreak of fever across the Empire in 884KF inspired Kassa Daal to market the substance as a medicine, not as a mere stimulant, and soon, demand for the product skyrocketed, with the Temple of the Jungle having to use temperament charms t o increase the quantity they could produce each month. The bizarre symptoms became sensational, but soon, several hundred people had heart attacks and strokes as a result of the magic-effects, and the Royal Kymurian Constabulary (RKC) began to investigate the substance. Thousands of people, rich and poor, were addicted, and death rates climbed. Chief Commissioner Sir Hiram Trevalian called the powder "a yellow plague," and received a royal grant with permission to seize any and all shipments of the drug, and arrests anyone carrying it. The RKC began this campaign poorly, with many of it's agents and officers taking bribes from traders and often becoming addicts themselves. Major-General Frederick Coutts The new Chief Commissioner of the RKC, Lord Cecil Souverhampton, made the ultimate decision to call in the Imperial Army, which nearly caused a revolt of the ranks of the RKC, who detested the regular army. Lord Souverhampton co-ordinated the creation of a task-force under the command of famed explorer and officer Major-General Frederick Coutts. Coutts was a very popular figure at the time due to his lower-class status (He was the son of a Krahull cobbler and had begun army life as a simple footsoldier, earning his commission via bravery) and heroic feats exploring and mapping the northern bamboo jungles of the SKL.